Julie tells me there is a good reason why boys don't read much: the books are for girls.

She says that boys, like men, do not like to read fiction. But in school most books are fiction.The easy solution is to let the boys read nonfiction.

Obviously, some boys read fiction. This month marks the release of the latest Harry Potter book. When someone asked author JK Rawling why she chose a boy as the central character, she replied that girls would read a story about a boy, but boys would not read a story about a girl.

I mentor Tristan, low income at-risk minority kid from a single parent family. I discovered the Japanese action comic-book books that read backwards. He reads a book in 3 days and keeps me ordering them on a regular basis.

I read fiction regularly- - er, once a year. Then it's back to nonfiction for me for the other 50 weeks.

If the object is to improve boys' reading, give them auto repair manuals or whatever holds their interest. To do otherwise is both idiocy and illiteracy.

Earlier this month I canoed down a beautiful river, stopped to rest and discovered a huge patch of wild blueberries on the side of the hill. I picked joyously for a whole hour. This year is particularly good for blueberries.

Then I thought of a consulting meeting I had later that week. I chose to go to the meeting, but they shouldn't have meetings in July and August.

At this very moment, do you know what the French and Germans (who are more productive than the Americans) are doing? They are taking the summer off. They call it holidays. We call it vacation.

That's what Americans should be doing. In the 21st century, creativity will be even more important to profitability than productivity. And productive minds are rested minds.

Gaylord Nelson was such a person. He died this month at the age of 89.

He was a United States Senator and Governor of Wisconsin.Sen. Nelson:* Initiated the Wilderness Fund in 1964.* Was instrumental in the founding of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)* Was important in the Clean Air Act.* Was key to the Clean Water Act.And he is most remembered as the father of Earth Day.

Nine Shift fact: he is only the second person to have a Memorial Service at the Wisconsin capitol, the other person being Robert LaFollette, a societal difference-maker 100 years ago.

The Gen Xer explains some of the behaviors in the office of her generation, and
Julie explains why Baby Boomers (the bosses in the Gen Xer's office) behave the
way they do. It's a fascinating dialogue.

Charlene says that since their bosses require them to have meetings (which the
Boomer bosses do not attend), all the Gen Xers in the office go out of the
office and have fun. Then when they get back to the office, they email each
other and get the meeting business accomplished.Email communication being far more time
efficient than F2F meetings.
And F2F time far better spent doing non-meeting activities(fun,
bonding, relationships, etc.)

Then Julie tells Charlene why Baby Boomers spend so much time in meetings.
It is because, for Boomers, the more time you spend in meetings the higher
status it is.
The more important your job, the more time you spend in meetings.

This, of course, makes no productivity sense at all.* Your most talented people waste much of the
day in meetings.* They then have to work late, during
the least productive times of the day (late afternoon; weekends; nights).

Which is why F2F meetings decline in the 21st century, being replaced by far
more efficient online communication.

About 30 years ago, about 5 million young Americans were opposed to the war and for civil rights and change at home, and were met with the widely distributed slogan, "Love it or leave it."

Back then, the public wanted these folks to leave the U.S. Today, the public will soon be begging these same 5 million Americans, now 50+ and able to retire or simply relocate, "Love it, don't leave it."

The problem, of course, is that leaving now costs the U.S. jobs, taxes, civic participation, leaders, mentors and more. Sometime in the next 5 years you'll see an advertising campaign and publicity urging the Boomers not to leave America.

"One of the issues you raised in the early part of the book was that the government at the start of the 20th century were in the pocket of large business. Now while I see that repeated at the start of the 21st century, the book did not explain how this matter was addressed as we entered the Industrial Age or indeed if it ever has been addressed."

Good point, Mr. Anson, and great issue. Our insufficient response is:

1. How governments respond to big business varies by nation. England, Japan, Russia and the U.S. all developed different social infrastructures in the last century, and are likely to show some variability in how each responds in this century.

2. Here's how it happened in the last century. Of course, there is still debate on whether government DID in fact free itself from domination by big business. But assuming it did (we argue in the US it did to some extent), it happened through socialists, women's groups, new laws, labor strikes and media muckraking, among other ways. How it happened in the UK we do not know, but would like to hear from our UK readers on this.

3. Here's how it will happen in the 21st century. We don't know. We don't know who knows. It likely will happen differently. Currently the boys are online doing all the work to make it happen. Will votes, labor unions, protests, do it again? Don't know. Certainly there will be new laws, once again. Hurry up new laws!

One of our best friends and colleagues used to call us frequently on her cell phone while driving around the metro area on the highway.More often than not, her first comment would be "I'm in Burnsville now...."

She's not alone. We have this compulsion to tell people where we are. Judging by overhearing a thousand cell phone calls in airports, where someone is located is almost never relevant to the purpose of the phone call.

In a decade or two, we won't be telling people where we are. It will be like saying, "I'm wearing a blue shirt now."

The lesson:* Value of place goes down.* The value of time continues to go up.

Finally, we're afraid of the Internet.Some 54% of Brits admitted being afraid of the Internet a few years ago. Americans are finally admitting it too, sorta, maybe.

That's the only conclusion we can arrive at after reading the front page lead story in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "More criminals trolling the web."

It took us about 5 days to try to figure out the story and why they ran it on page one.

The story (our comments in parentheses):* Cyber fraud is up to $68 million a year (this is peanuts)* More criminals are trolling the web (this was undocumented, it could be the same or fewer criminals)* The Milwaukee cyber crime unit has cyber fraud as its third biggest priority (and is leaving corporate cyber crime, which totals in the billions, alone; while focussing on petty thieves)* Nigerian fraud is the ninth biggest cyber fraud, at 0.2% (for the entire state of Wisconsin, this means that all the Nigerians have only fleeced a total of $2,700 out of the entire 5 million people in Wisconsin. Just one small town employer attempting to prevent a low income worker her workers comp. money is that amount).* People have been defrauded buying 100 pairs of jeans online for $1,000 (hello? would not one buy 1 pair of jeans before going for 100 pairs on an unknown site?)

Online fraud is still a fraction of the total fraud. It is riskier giving someone your credit card in person at a retail store or restaurant, according to the statistics, than online.

Why all the fuss? Instead of pandering to people's fear of the Net, our nation's media should be allaying the public's fears and moving us more quickly ahead into the 21st century.